This meal, while certainly not a 30 Minute Mealby any means is so worth taking the time to make some night. You don’t need to serve with all components, but if you’ve got some onions or cucumber (has to be english/seedless cucumber) lying around, you might as well, right?

The meal inspiration came from a Bon Appétit recipebut I tweaked the yogurt sauce to resemble my tzatziki with the addition of mint, added the cucumbers from this recipe and added a little more spice to the onions. Serve it all with some whole grain pita bread. And don’t worry about making a mess, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a delicious turkish meal, even if it is all over your face….

Lamb Köfte Meatballs:

1 lb ground lamb

1/2 cup mint, chopped

1/4 cup onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp paprika, coriander and cumin

1 tsp salt, pepper and cayenne pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375° F. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix together with hands until all is incorporated. Form meatballs into about 1″ diameter balls. Spread out the meatballs evenly in glass baking dish. Bake for 10-15 minutes until meat is cooked through.

Paprika Onions:

1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 Tbsp paprika

salt & pepper

Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat. When oil is hot add onions and seasonings, saute until onions are soft. Set aside.

Sauteed Cucumbers:

1/2 english cucumbers, chopped

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

Add olive oil to pan used for paprika onions and when hot add cucumbers, stirring to combine all ingredients. Take off heat after about 3 minutes.

Mint Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup 2% Fage

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup cucumber, chopped

1 Tbsp mint, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until incorporated and store in the refrigerator until serving.